dojetdriver
I'm New Here
Has anyone installed Sky Designs ER fuel tanks on a RV-14A? If so can you provide any pros and conns of the ER tanks?
Thanks
K
Thanks
K
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RV-14A ER tanks by Sky Designs
- Thread starter dojetdriver
- Start date
[email protected]
Active Member
Suggest you contact Ken Krueger, president of Sky Designs, for a RV-14ER builder near you. See these recent issues of our newsletter for more details on the ER tanks from him and our customers.
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I finished building mine in October. Pretty straightforward stuff. Overall, building the ER tanks is just a little more work. You need to drill a few new holes, add a few new nutplates, include two additional ribs in each tank. Ken provides a list of the additional parts you need to order from Vans (e.g. a couple ribs and Z brackets per tank). At that time (18 months ago), it didn't include the longer j-channels that I found out I needed so I had to order those later. That was the only gotcha for me. Ken may have updated his parts list by now to include this longer j-channel. Mine fit perfectly on the wing. I also used a template Ken provided to drill a hole in the rear baffle to install outboard fuel senders. For a first time builder I'm very happy with the results and no leaks!
Pros: Fill your tanks less often, longer range, parts are high quality and fit perfectly, FANTASTIC support
Cons: Cost, a few additional steps in the build
No regrets here. I would install Ken's ER tanks again for sure.
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Have there been any tests done flying or calculated, that shows that spins for example has the same characteristics as nonER tanks
Would love to order this but I’d like some reassurance that aerobatics are ok with this
It looks like a great product but putting more weight further out the wing will at some point influence spins I have no clue where the limit is but there has to be a limit somewhere
Would love to order this but I’d like some reassurance that aerobatics are ok with this
It looks like a great product but putting more weight further out the wing will at some point influence spins I have no clue where the limit is but there has to be a limit somewhere
Sky designs has written an engineering report on ER tanks for RV14s and RV10s. It addresses these concerns as well as others.
Reach out to them for a copy if you need more information.
Sky Designs
Active Member
Thank you Brian for the positive review of our ER tanks for your RV-14.
What Richard said is correct - we prepared engineering reports that cover aspects of the ER installation such as structural strength, mass properties, flying qualities, lightning protection & electrical bonding, fuel system function & operation, and crashworthiness. Much like an STC to a Part 23 aircraft, the final section of the report provides information to supplement your Pilot's Operating Handbook to cover operational limitations such as the amount of fuel that can be carried during aerobatic flights including spins.
Please contact us directly, Patrick, if you'd like a copy of our engineering report...we're happy to address any questions you should have regarding our products.
What Richard said is correct - we prepared engineering reports that cover aspects of the ER installation such as structural strength, mass properties, flying qualities, lightning protection & electrical bonding, fuel system function & operation, and crashworthiness. Much like an STC to a Part 23 aircraft, the final section of the report provides information to supplement your Pilot's Operating Handbook to cover operational limitations such as the amount of fuel that can be carried during aerobatic flights including spins.
Please contact us directly, Patrick, if you'd like a copy of our engineering report...we're happy to address any questions you should have regarding our products.
Roy Thoma
Well Known Member
Ken's too modest to post about his background. Since the questions about the Sky Designs tanks are from new members, they may not know Ken's background. He was the lead engineer for the RV-14 and many other Van's designs.
Here is a video with Ken introducing hte RV-14:
Vic starts talking about Ken and some Sky Designs parts at the 8:30 mark in
If you don't recognize Vic's name, search VAF for him.
Regards,
Here is a video with Ken introducing hte RV-14:
Vic starts talking about Ken and some Sky Designs parts at the 8:30 mark in
Regards,
Thanks Ken email sent
